


a history of us born underneath the stars

by moonflovers



Category: Haikyuu!!, ハイパープロジェクション演劇「ハイキュー!!」| Hyper Projection Play "Haikyuu!!" RPF
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Divorce, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 08:29:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17422424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonflovers/pseuds/moonflovers
Summary: "Do you believe in love?""I believe in the stars."





	a history of us born underneath the stars

**Author's Note:**

> im always late but ya know it's the thought that matters
> 
> happy [belated] birthday nami! this fic is dedicated to you, the sweetest iwaoi lover out there <3

They were only children when they first met. Oikawa still ran around and tripped, scraping his knees while Iwaizumi would get into friendly brawls with his classmates. They were both only eight years old and unaware of the real world.

Except that Oikawa was a bit more exposed to the cruelties of the world outside his bubble of happiness with his parents yelling at each other almost every night. Sometimes they resolved it in a single night but sometimes, their fight would last days. He knew they tried to be considerate, stepping out of the same room as him when they could feel their tempers rising or sending him out to play with friends as their voices became apparent from even the farthest room from him.

On the fateful night, they met, his mother slapped his father and began to cry- something that never happened. Oikawa quickly retreated out off the kitchen and ran up to his room, his heart pumping and chills running up his spine. He grabbed his hat and a jacket from his closet then ran downstairs to escape the suffocating atmosphere of his house.

With his hands in the pockets of his pants, he trudged away to the path of the nearby park of his neighbourhood. The jacket he took stayed on his shoulder, the air too humid and stuffy to even consider wearing. When he reached the park, there were high school students running amok with some even playing on the swings.

_ I’ll just walk around then _ , Oikawa thought, disgruntled by his foiled plans at moping around on the swing-set. With new plans, he set off in search of a relatively quiet area where he can look at the stars.

It didn’t take too much time until he found just what he was looking for. At the other end of the park, the hill was cut so there was a wall that prevented the soil from spilling. With renewed vigour, Oikawa ran there and swung his legs out on the ledge. He removed his jacket from his shoulder and stuck his hand in the pockets. After a few moments, he found the stick of gum he kept along with a few coins, a pen and crumpled paper full of notes and messages from his classmates.

Popping the piece of gum in his mouth, he began to look at the faint stars and did his best to remember what his dad taught him. Quickly, he found the most common constellations he knew then quickly decided he’d make his own constellations. He was in the middle of trying to come up with a name for the fish in a bowl constellation he traced in the sky when a voice drifted up to him.

“You know it’s dangerous to sit there,”

Startled, Oikawa looked down and discerned the figure of a boy in the shadows. He blinked and he could see that it was indeed a boy who was wearing a ridiculously oversized green jacket frowning at him. For some reason, he thought he looked like a hedgehog.

Before Oikawa could reply, the boy spoke again. “You should move away from the edge,” the boy grumbled, shoving his hands in his hoodie.

“Yeah, and maybe you shouldn’t wear that hoodie. It’s a thousand degrees out here!” Oikawa argued, not knowing exactly why he did that. They were, in fact, strangers to each other and it was really rude of him to do that. An apology almost made its way out of his mouth when the boy shrugged.

“I just came from a cold place, okay? What are you doing alone at,” the boy raised his arm quickly, glancing at his wrist. “Ten P.M.? You could be kidnapped.”

“Oh, you care?” Oikawa teased.

The boy gave him a dirty look but Oikawa only laughed. “Well I’m not alone anymore, aren’t I? You’re here now with me!” He said.

“I’m probably the same age as you are. We’re both at risk at being kidnapped, you know.” While his words were harsh, he went up the hill and stood beside Oikawa with his hands in his pockets. He looked at him, the question clear in his eyes.

“It’s a public place, go ahead,” Oikawa said and the boy dropped beside him, hands on his knees as he looked up at the sky.

“Why are you here anyways? Shouldn’t you be with your parents or something?” Oikawa asked, hand drifting to pick at the grass. The fleeting thought that maybe the boy was also escaping some household problem came into Oikawa’s mind but he quickly disregarded it as soon as it came.

“We just moved here so my parents are throwing a party. I’m playing hide and seek with my cousins so I’m ‘hiding’ here,” the boy told him. “It’s pretty dark anyways.”

“Oh,”

They sat together in silence. Oikawa had run out of things to say and it seemed like the new kid did too. The cicadas disrupted the silence and Oikawa lied down on the grass, letting out a small “oof” as he did.

“You okay?” The kid asked, giving him a glance.

“I’m naming the stars and constellations. Wanna join while we wait for your cousins to find you?” Oikawa offered. He didn’t expect that the boy would flop down beside him but he didn’t complain and smiled instead.

They ended up naming four stars and two constellations after a bit of arguing and voicing out different opinions. In those moments, Oikawa couldn’t remember that his parent’s marriage was failing but only that he was having fun with his new friend. They were in the middle of trying to decide what to name the lion with a sword when someone’s voice cut through the night.

“Hajime!”

The boy scrambled up and looked at the direction of the highly distressed voice. He looked at his watch and Oikawa could see his face pale slightly.

“I have to go. I’ll see you around!” The boy was about to run off but Oikawa stood up and grabbed his wrist.

“Wait. My name’s Oikawa Tooru,” Oikawa told him, his eyes wide. Something in him told him that he had to say his name.

The boy pulled his hand back and faced away from him. Oikawa felt disappointed and a bit affronted on the boy’s behaviour but it quickly dissipated when he heard him speak.

“My name’s Iwaizumi Hajime. Thanks for keeping me company,” and the boy was gone.

After a few seconds, Oikawa stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed back to his house, certain that his parents would be done by the time he got back. Still, all the way home he kept thinking of the constellations he named with his new friend.

* * *

 

Oikawa, aged sixteen, was walking home with a cup of coffee in his hands with Iwaizumi beside him who was using his phone, probably scrolling through his twitter feed. He was correct because Iwaizumi raised his phone to show him a video of a cat sneezing- but bass-boosted.

“You know, most people expect me to be the one like those things but it’s actually you,” Oikawa commented dryly, fighting the grin off his face.

“You’re the one introduced these kinds of memes to me. Look, you’re smiling,” Iwaizumi said, rolling his eyes as he pocketed his phone.

Like routine, Oikawa stuck his tongue out at Iwaizumi who punched his shoulder. It’s nothing Oikawa can’t handle but he yelled out in pain like always and Iwaizumi called him “Shittykawa” because that’s how they are and it doesn’t ever change. Once they reached the park, he and Iwaizumi part ways, waving goodbye at each other.

It only took him a few more minutes to reach his house. He removed his shoes and muttered a small “I’m home,” as he placed his shoes away in the corner. He stood up and adjusted his bag strap on his shoulder and decided to head to the kitchen to fix himself a small snack. When he entered the kitchen, he found his parents sitting across each other, talking in soft tones and dejected faces.

“Mom? Dad?” Oikawa was surprised to see them so early back in the house but he wasn’t displeased at this. At the sound of his voice, they looked at him and offered him weary smiles.

“Welcome home, Tooru. How’s school?” His dad greeted him.

Oikawa walked to the kitchen cabinets and opened them, taking two pieces of milkbread he bought from yesterday. “It’s good. The coach’s going to be making me a regular,” he informed them both. “And I’m at the top of my class.”

“That’s good, Tooru,” his mom said. “Well…”

Oikawa looked at them both and cocked his head. “Do you want to tell me something?” He asked, feeling anxiety rise up in him.

Both of them nodded so he took a seat and waited for them to speak. After growing up in a slightly hostile environment, he grew to learn the emotions and feelings of a person just by how they slouched or sat up straight; how their hands were clasped or hung by their sides; how their eyes looked down or looked straight ahead. His mom was looking at his eyes but her mouth was tight and her stature was too stiff to be called relaxed while his dad looked down at his lap, his hands hidden from view which could mean he was fidgeting with them.

They were  _ nervous _ .

“Are you separating?”

When he said it, his mom broke down, tears running down her face while his dad finally looked up at him, a silent apology written all over his face.

Dumbfounded, Oikawa stood up and walked away. His parents didn’t stop him but he heard his dad tell his mom to “let him go”. He could picture his dad putting his hand on his mom’s back and the thought of it upset him even further. He left his house and without meaning to, he found himself at the Iwaizumi house.

He pressed the doorbell two times and in a minute, someone opened the door for him, like always. That day, it was Iwaizumi’s younger sister, Haruki who beamed up at him when she saw it was him.

“Okawa-san~!” She greeted him, opening the door wider so he could go in. He couldn’t help but smile fondly at how she pronounced his name so he picked her up, spinning her around, earning a few giggles from her.

“Hello, Harucchi! Do you know where Hajime is?” He asked, hoping that she wouldn’t notice how he really was.

Luckily, she didn’t and told him that her brother was upstairs in his room. “Hajime nee-san is studying really hard so he can go to a good college!” She told him with a proud look on her adorable face. Oikawa chuckled and set her down.

“I’m sure he’ll get into a great university. I’m sure a lot of universities already want him,” Oikawa said and at his words, she seemed pleased and ran away.

The Iwaizumi house had become a sort of safe haven from him when his parents began to fight. He always thought that Iwaizumi’s home was warm, unlike his house where he always felt cold and on the edge. Iwaizumi’s parents always welcomed him with open arms and treated him like he was their son. By the time he was ten, he already his own drawer for his clothes in Iwaizumi’s bedroom which really spoke on how much he stayed over in their house.

He stood outside Iwaizumi’s bedroom and knocked twice. “Iwa-chan! It’s me! The best setter in Sendai!”

Within a few moments, Iwaizumi opened the door, looking disgruntled as ever with his headphones around his neck. He was wearing a black shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants and a pencil was tucked behind his ear.

“What do you want?” Iwaizumi asked, stepping aside so Oikawa could enter.

“Nothing much. Can I stay here the night?” Oikawa asked with as much nonchalance he could muster. But as usual, Iwaizumi caught the underlying sadness.

“Want to talk about it?”

A beat. “Maybe later.”

Oikawa removed his bag and set it on the ground before throwing himself on Iwaizumi’s bed. He buried his face in Iwaimumi’s comforter and he smelled the faint traces of the detergent he used mixed with cologne. Sighing, Oikawa looked up and saw that Iwaizumi’s moved back to his desk, headphones on and pencil back in his hand, moving across a sketchpad. Oikawa sat up and he observed the way Iwaizumi seemed to be so engrossed in his work, flicking his wrist to create steady lines and using the ruler when he had to.

_ He’ll be such a talented architect _ . Oikawa thought as he watched the landscape of buildings come to place.

“You’ll tell me, right?”

Oikawa looked back at Iwaizumi whose frown grew deeper the last time he looked. “Excuse me?” He asked.

“You’ll tell me what’s troubling you, right?” Iwaizumi clarified.

“Of course I will. Not now, though. I’m still...”  _ I’m still processing the fact that my parents are going to get divorced. _

Iwaizumi nodded and his face grew calm. “Okay.”

Oikawa flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Then, he sat up again and read the titles of the books Iwaizumi kept on his bookshelf. Architecture through the centuries; No Longer Human; The Grimm Brother’s Fairytales; Advanced Calculus; Human Anatomy. The last book was actually his but he kept it in Iwaizumi’s room after the first time he left it there. He didn’t know why but he just did. Then, he gazed at the family photo Iwaizumi kept on his desk like the family guy he was. It was when he was still a child, a small smile on his face while his dad’s hand was on his head while his mom’s hand on his shoulder. Next to it was a photo of themselves when they just graduated from middle school, smiles incredibly bright and eyes red from crying. Suddenly, a question took form in Oikawa’s head.

Before he could stop himself, Oikawa asked, “Do you believe in love?”

That made Iwaizumi stop drawing and he lowered his pencil and looked at Oikawa. “What?”

“Do you uhh, believe in love?” Oikawa tried again.

“I guess I do? Wait, Tooru, what’s wrong?” Iwaizumi stood up from his chair and sat beside Oikawa on his bed.

“I don’t think I do. Your parents are really lucky, Hajime,” Oikawa said. “They seem happy.”

Iwaizumi stayed silent and only moved closer to Oikawa as if he wanted to hug him but couldn’t bring himself to.

“I don’t know; I expected it to happen. Why am I still upset?” Oikawa felt his voice wobble a bit. “It’s so frustrating. My sister told me she never really saw them fight. Is it my fault, then? She told me they used to be happy but then I came along and something changed somewhere. I guess it’s m fault.”

“Tooru, your parents-”

“My parents are getting divorced.”

Iwaizumi stiffened. Oikawa looked away and began to crack his knuckles. Downstairs, he could hear Iwaizumi’s dad greeting Haruchi with a hearty laugh.

“It’s not the end of the world,” Iwaizumi said. “You’ve still got me.”

Oikawa whipped his head so fast, he almost snapped it. He stared at Iwaizumi with wide eyes who was purposely looking away from him.

“Your parents are still gonna care for you. I’m sure it’s not your fault they began to fight. You know, for a smart person, you’re also pretty dumb!” Iwaizumi hit Oikawa’s arm and Oikawa instinctively yelped out in pain.

“Iwa-chan!” He cried out.

“Stop being so gloomy. They just told you, didn’t they? You aren’t making this easy for them too. They probably thought of this really hard. Besides, aren’t they miserable always fighting? It’s probably for the best.” Iwaizumi said.

“I know! I know,” Oikawa felt tears slowly roll down his cheeks. “I know that, okay?”

As he cried, Oikawa heard Iwaizumi sigh before he felt a pair of arms engulf him in a hug that seemed to anchor him down. He buried his head on the crook of Iwaizumi’s shoulder and did his best not to sob, breathing heavily.

“You know, they could change their mind,” Iwaizumi said softly.

Oikawa let out a laugh and smiled. “I don’t know, that sounds worse.” He whispered. “I’m a bit glad though, really. It’s sad, but you’re right.”

The mood that night was sombre but Oikawa felt fine with Iwaizumi by his side. He felt fine because he had Iwaizumi.

* * *

 

The sun hung low in the sky, painting Oikawa’s surroundings in golden hues while the sky was a mixture of soft pinks and purples that blended easily with the blue that slowly turned deeper. It would’ve been a nice day if it weren’t for the words that were coming out from the girl in front of Oikawa.

“I’m sorry, Oikawa-san,”

Oikawa’s girlfriend-  _ ex _ -girlfriend bowed lowly at him as he tried to process what happened.

“Maru-san, I-”

She stood up and shook her head. “It’s not your fault. It’s just that I get the feeling you like someone else other than me,” she said softly, her eyes piercing him. “And I’m probably wrong about that but you dedicate too much time with volleyball. It’s frustrating but I know that it matters a lot to you.”

“So you’re making that decision for me?” Oikawa asked, frustration leaking out his voice.

Maru smiled at him gently and reached out to hold his hand. “Oikawa-san. Even if I gave you the choice, would you really choose me over volleyball?” She asked and all the fight from Oikawa disappeared. At this, her eyes shone a bit brighter than before but she kept smiling and let his hand go.

“See? Don’t be so upset,” she said. “I’ll still watch all your games and cheer for your team.”

Oikawa didn’t reply and looked down at the ground. When he looked back up, she was gone. He took a deep breath before kicking the dirt on the ground. Maybe he should’ve tried more. But how could he when he knew she was right? He couldn’t give volleyball up for her. He moved to a nearby tree and punched it, feeling utterly helpless.

“Oi. You’ll hurt yourself.”

Oikawa turned around and spotted Iwaizumi walking up to him calmly with a pack of milk bread in his hand. He couldn’t keep disgust out of his face because the next thing he knew, the milkbread was on his face.

“Iwa-chan! Such a brute,” Oikawa muttered, picking up the milkbread and dusting the dirt away from it. But he was grateful since the clear act of violence against him calmed him down. “So were you stalking me?”

That time, it was Iwaizumi’s turn to express disgust at him. “What the fuck? No. Maru-san asked me to come here after she broke up with you so you wouldn’t do anything stupid,” he explained. “And she was right that you’d try to do something stupid.”

“She broke up with me because she thought I’m too obsessed with volleyball,” Oikawa complained, opening the plastic wrap of the milk bread, chomping angrily on it. “I’m not  _ that  _ obsessed with volleyball!”

“Don’t speak with our mouth full! And are you really sure about that?” Iwaizumi asked him, giving him a pointed look.

After swallowing his food, Oikawa sighed. “Look at the stars with me?” He asked, knowing that Iwaizumi wouldn’t refuse.

They began to walk together, side by side, heading to the familiar section of the park where they first met. By the time they got there, the sun had completely sunk below the horizon and the sky was a dark purple with the brightest stars come out. Oikawa sat down on the edge of the ledge while Iwaizumi sat beside him, albeit just a bit farther away from the ledge. He leaned on Oikawa and for a moment, Oikawa stilled but he eventually put his weight on Iwaizumi as well.

“Did you really like her? I mean, out of all the girls you dated, she was clearly the best one,” Iwaizumi said. “She understood you a lot.”

“She understood me a bit too well then, breaking up with me-  _ for me _ ,” Oikawa added, a frown marring his face. “She’s too kind.”

“She likes you a lot, I can tell. Oh, and I’m naming that bear Hu KeonSoo” Iwaizumi said, raising his arm and pointing at a cluster of stars in the distance.

Oikawa placed his elbows on his thighs and supported his face on his hands. “Isn’t that the name of your Korean classmate?” He asked, pouting slightly. “You know, we’ve known each other for nine years-”

“Ten.”

“Pardon me?”

“We met each other today, ten years ago,” Iwaizumi spared him a look, clearly irritated. “You forgot?”

“Uhh… No?” Oikawa smiled sheepishly at his best friend. “Okay, yeah I forgot but you never made a big deal out of it when we were younger.”

“We’ve been friends for a decade now, Tooru. That’s a pretty long time considering that it’s you,” Iwaizumi said heatedly.

“Hey!” Oikawa gently shoved with his shoulder Iwaizumi who reciprocated the movement, a small smile present on his face.

“But really, do you like Hu KeonSoo?” Oikawa asked, genuinely curious. “It’s been a long time since you dated anybody.”

“I don’t like her, Oikawa. My classmates call her a bear and her name just popped in my mind,” he said.

“Oh.”

They sat in silence. More stars began to fill the horizon and the moon came into view, only a few clouds present in the sky. It was truly a great night to go stargazing and he was glad Iwaizumi decided to keep him company.

“Do you believe in love?”

Oikawa blinked and cocked his head at Iwaizumi. “What?” He asked, not quite sure if he heard him right.

“Do you believe in love?”

“I believe in the stars.”

That time, it was Iwaizumi’s turn to turn his head at Oikawa in confusion. “What?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think I’m made for the stars either,” Oikawa confessed. “I mean, astronomy is cool but I don’t think I can make it my profession. I really do think I’ll pursue medicine.”

“Oh my- you don’t think you’re made for love?” Iwaizumi asked, voice incredulous.

“I didn’t-”

“You inferred that you don’t think you’re made for love. You really are dumb,” Iwaizumi shook his head.

“What do you mean? I don’t break up with my girlfriends- they do. Maru-san was the longest girl I dated and we lasted three months. Doesn’t that say something about me and my tendencies with romance?” He asked dryly. “Besides I don’t love them. I care for them but I didn’t  _ love _ them. I just think I don’t have the capacity to love. Maybe I’m broken. Like my parents.”

When Iwaizumi heard him say this, his eyes softened but his mouth didn’t go slack. “You’re not broken and neither are your parents. You know, you always come back to this,” he said. “You know how to love, Oikawa.”

“In a filial sense, yes but  _ romantically _ ? I’ve never loved anyone,” Oikawa said. “Maybe I should give up on dating.”

“You’re incredibly annoying, you know?” Before Oikawa could reply, Iwaizumi pinned him on the ground and all Oikawa could think was that he looked like a deity who came down for him.

“You know, we’ve known each other for ten years now, Tooru. You always stress about these kinds of things and I always have to pick you up,” Iwaizumi told him, voice low. “And I don’t mind. You annoy me and call me ‘Iwa-chan’ even if we use our given names. You’re incredibly dumb too.”

“You’re being mean-”

“You know why I don’t mind? Because you make me feel  _ loved _ , Tooru. Of course you can love, you dumbass!” Iwaizumi released him and sat up, cheeks turning pink. “Why do you think I can put up with your stupid antics? Because you care and you ask me what’s wrong and you'll even go over to my house when I’m sick because you’re worried. You’ve proved that a thousand times to me so why can’t you see it?”

Oikawa stared at him with wide eyes, unable to speak.  _ Do I love Hajime? _ The thought came clear into his mind and he looked back at the times he felt safe in Iwaizumi’s arms, smiled whenever he saw him, did his best to impress him, help him out with homework and-

“Oh. I’m in love with you.” Once Oikawa said it, a giddy feeling broke out in his chest and he smiled.

“You just realised? I knew since we were in middle school,” Iwaizumi leaned closer to him and flicked his forehead.

Oikawa was about to give him a heated answer when something came across his mind. “Wait, so… do you like me? The way I do? I mean do you love me?” Oikawa began to feel incredibly flustered, panicking slightly. “Because I won’t force you to like me back just-”

Iwaizumi had sighed somewhere in the middle of his ramble and kissed him gently on the lips, giving him the answer. It was chaste and sweet but it still made Oikawa’s brain melt when Iwaizumi pulled away with a small smile on his lips.

“I love you too, Tooru.”

**Author's Note:**

> iwaoi is so soft i literally cant make angst out of them
> 
> i mean i can but im not ready for that yet,,,,, not _yet_
> 
> idk u can yell at me @ twitter dot com @keijikidsand if u wanna see the art that inspired this go look me up at instagram @gloomstarrs owo
> 
> also mayhaps if u appreciate me,,,,, leave me a ko-fi @gloomstars ? except u nami ily


End file.
